Quicksilver-furnace.



Patented Oct. 7, I902.

No. 7l0,897.

R. SCOTT.

QUICKSILVEB FURNACE.

(Application filed May 28, 1901.)

(No Model.)

WITNESSES A TTOHNE rs UNITED STATES PATENT @FFrcE.

ROBERT SCOTT, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA.

QUlCKSILVER-FURNACE SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 710,897, dated October 7, 1902.

Application filed May 23, 1901. Serial No. 61.650. (N0 model.)

To a, who/1t it I'M/(by concern:

3e it known that 1, ROBERT SCOTT, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Jose, in the county of Santa Clara and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Quicksilver-Furnaces; and I do hereby declare the following to beafull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention relates to improvements in the construction of the quicksilverfurnace shown in my former patent, No. 183,9S-l; but, to be more specific, it consists of a novel arrangement of brick and tile, by the employment of which all the advantageous features of my former patent are preserved, while the construction of the furnace is rendered more simple, and consequently less expensive,anditslifemateriallyincreased. The manner of setting the inclined tile, which 1 havehereinafterfully set forth, is an absolute guard against slipping or other displacement thereof, which is a common occurrence in the furnacesnowgenerallybuilt. Itwilltherefore be seen that the cost of such repairs being eliminated and the expense of the consequent delay in the use of the furnace overcome the general efficiency of the furnace is greatly increased.

In the ordinarily-constructedfurnace,where tile having rectangular cross-sections are employed, the large number of brick necessary to fit below the tile in order to form suitable supporting-brackets are cut by hand, which labor, besides making the construction of the furnace a very slow process, also adds to its first cost. \Vhen the latter method is resorted to, some means must be employed to resist the tendency of the tile slipping in the direction of the moving ore, for the pressure of the latter as it automatically travels downward from shelf to shelf is evidently considerable. A brace-brick is therefore interposed between the lower edge of each tile and the upper face of the one immediately below, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 1. Now the great objection to this latter method is the liability of displacing this brace-brick as the ore is raked by the irons, which are inserted through openings in the side walls of the furnace to clear it in cases where the ore lodges.

Besides this objection another lies in the fact that the brace-bricks obstruct the clear passage for the movement of the ore.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear to those familiar with the construction of quicksilver-furnaces as the following description is gone over, while in the appended clai msI have particularly pointed out the novel features.

I am enabled to accomplish the above results by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a vertical section of a portion of a quicksilver-furnace showing the relative arrangement of my improved tile and central supporting-brick. This section is in the direction of the dotted line in Fig. 4, lettered :0 ac. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the man ner of supporting that portion of the tile between the central supporting-bricks shown in Fig. 1. This section is on the line y y of Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the form of supporting-brick used beneath the ends of the tile nearest the opposite walls of the furnace. This section is taken 011 the line .2 .2 of Fig. 4. Figure 4 is an elevation of the entire length of tile, takenin the direction of the arrow in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the supportingbricks shown in section on the right-hand portion of Fig. l.

I will now explain the construction and arrangement of the several parts of my invention and in so doing refer to the above views by letter.

The usual manner of setting the ordinary rectangular tile consists in building out a bracket of brick and subsequently laying the tile on this fiat inclined surface. After two oppositely-inclined tile have been laid in this manner the brace-brick is inserted between them. This brace-brick evidently prevents the slipping of the upper tile; but, on the other hand, it is evident that the mouth of the furnace is choked a corresponding degree, While should the ore become blocked and the usual method of raking with an iron resorted to this brace-brick is very apt to be pulled out. Now in order to overcome these objections I have formed the tile A with a projecting lip a, which fits over the top of a bracket-brick B, the latter being built into the wall 0 of the furnace and resting on the base-piece D. Where the tile is set from the partition-wall 0 between opposite chambers E E, I resort to the base-piece D; but when the tile projects from the side wall F of the furnace I form the bracket-brick and basepiece in one, as shown at G in Fig. 1 or in perspective in Fig. 5. Of course where the tile are set from opposite sides of the partition-walls O, I have formed one base-piece to support two opposite bracket-bricks. Now in order to hold these tile A snugly against the bracket-bricks I have positioned the keybricks H just above and slightly over the upper nose 5 of the tile. It is evident that by this method the tile is held firmly in place and capable of resisting the direct sliding and tilting action of the moving ore. Should it subsequently be found necessary to remove a tile, all that is required to do is to remove the key-brick II, when the tile can then be readily lifted out of place.

The drawing, which is about one-sixteenth natural size, represents the tile as being twenty and one-quarter inches wide on the upper face, three inches thick, and eighteen inches long, and as the throat of the furnace is about six feet across it will consequently require four tile having their ends abutting to reach the distance. I have shown such a series of tile in Fig. 4. Beneath the weakest places of this series--namely, at the abutting ends of the tile-I have positioned the deep bracket-bricks B,while reaching from the side walls or pigeon-walls I of the furnace to the first deep bracket B, I have set a slightly-shallowerbrickJ. (Shown in Fig. 3.) Interposed between the deep brackets B are the smallest brackets K. (Shown in section in Fig. 2.)

The pigeonholes L are in the pigeon-walls I of the furnace and permit the gases, vapors, &c., from below to pass through the body of ore above; but as this feature, besidesthe action of feeding,firing, and condensation of the vapors, are identical in the furnaces now generally used I do not deem it necessary to show or explain the same. The direction of movement of the ore, however, I have shown by means of dotted arrows in Fig. 1.

The construction and arrangement of the several parts of my invention being thus made known the advantages of the same will, it is thought, be readily understood.

I am aware that changes in the form and proportion of parts of the devices herein shown and described as an embodiment of my invention can be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages thereof, and I therefore reserve the right to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the scope of my invention.

VVhat'I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with a tile for quicksilver-furnaces, a wall, a bracket builtinto the wall of the furnace and forming an inclined surface on which said tile rests, and a lip formed on said tile and lapping over the edge of said bracket for the purpose of preventing slipping of said tile.

In combination with a tile for quicksilver-furnaces or the like, a wall, abracket built into the Wall of the furnace and formed with a protruding upper edge, a lip formed on said tile and engaging said edge, and a key-brick built into said wall and resting on the upper edge of said tile for the purpose set forth.

3. In combination with the tile for quicksilver-furnaces or the like, a wall, a bracket formed of a single piece with an inner leg adapted to be set in the wall of the furnace, and an outer leg formed with an apex for supporting said tile and preventing its displacement for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT SCOTT.

Witnesses:

M. F. BIRD, GEORGE PATTISON. 

